Flying Rocks

Anything about BXs
Post Reply
Tinkley
1K Away
Posts: 1502
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:27 am
Location: N Hants England
x 8

Flying Rocks

Post by Tinkley »

Last night a passing car decided to eject a good sized rock in the direction of my car at 70mph on the A3. It hit my car on the rear o/s quarter panel but could have been anywhere. I got the reg and reported it to the police when I got home. Interesting thing is - It is not officially a crime unless I make an insurance claim when the police will be forced to record it as a crime so I have the crime number for the insurers.

I have fully comp insurance and I intend to make the claim to repair the quarter panel, even if only to force the police to record a crime. Perhaps I should go round throwing bricks at all passing car windscreens knowing it will not be recorded as a crime because most people are to lazy to report it. Strange how only when money is involved that it becomes an official crime statistic. I had this a lot a few years ago, like having to wait 2 hours in Islington police station to report a stolen rucksack. Absolutely anything to discourage you from reporting a crime - 'its the figures you know boys'. Do I believe that crime has fallen as much as claimed? maybe but a hell of a lot is not reported because the police don't want to know/ its too difficult to do anything/ got better things to do etc. All minor irritating stuff like rocks out the window, making sure its hard to prove.

I suspect I will get no joy out of this but I am going to claim against the other driver anyway. The quarter panel has about a 10mm deep dent over 70mm X 40mm as a result. Anyone had anything similar and how did you fare?
User avatar
Thread Bear
1K Away
Posts: 1651
Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2013 9:47 am
Location: Longcot, near Faringdon, Oxfordshire
x 1

Re: Flying Rocks

Post by Thread Bear »

My Mum hit a bulk of wood on the motorway. Smashed a front wheel and she is actually a pretty good driver so did not have an accident. This situation is apparently nobodies fault. Though if you did have an accident and the skid mark inspector decided there was not a lump of timber involved you would be nicked for dangerous driving or something. However if you see the timber fall from a truck and report it then they get done for insecure load. So you can see the gaps in the system pretty clearly. To be frank if you drive hard have a lump of wood with Tesco on it in the car and if you have a spank chuck the wood somewhere handy, then you can blame Tesco, who have far to much money anyway. :lol:

Likewise loose and overturned cones in the carriageway are not the councils responsibility as someone must have knocked them from where they were put. I can live with this until you had one of the Motorway cone storage systems where naff all is actually happening. The truck drivers used to get teed off in Gloucestershire and mow a few down to get their own back. The council workers responded by filling a few with concrete! Funny the trucks stopped knocking the cones over. [-X

You can only make a successful claim against a council on damage from a reported pothole, I understand. Unreported potholes do not exist. I think that is precisely the problem. There is so much not existing there is a ruddy great hole! :roll:

And my fav. If you get hit by a guy who died at the wheel of his car the insurer will not pay out. I know two people who have had this happen, no not the dead ones, fool. When he died his policy died with him. So up your chuff, victim! #-o
Miguel - 16 TRS Auto S, light blue, 43k miles - £450
Pluto - 14 E S, White, 105k Miles - in work
Egbert - 19 16v Gti, White, A/C & Leather, - Keeper
Walt - 17 TZD Turbo S, graphite, 70k miles, good op extras - Keeper
Scraper- 17 TZD Turbo E, blue, 208k miles - parts
Homer - 19 TXD E, Red, 189k miles - £250
Gary - 17 TZD Turbo E, 118k miles - in work

'87 Trooper, Borgwards, Saabs, MG ZB, Bellamy Trials, Fiat Jolly & Bianchina, Goggo Dart, Messerschmitt, Heinkel, Bubblecars
Kitch
Over 2k
Posts: 6417
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:36 pm
Location: Fareham, Hants
My Cars: Too many to list
x 88
Contact:

Re: Flying Rocks

Post by Kitch »

If you claim your premium will increase next year, regardless of blame. The world is full of knobs, I'd find out where this one lives myself!
One third of a three-spoke BX columnist team for the Citroenian magazine.

CCC BX registrar: The national BX register - click to submit a car!

1983(A) 16TRS (Rouge Valleunga)
1990(H) 16Valve (Rouge Furio)
Tinkley
1K Away
Posts: 1502
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:27 am
Location: N Hants England
x 8

Re: Flying Rocks

Post by Tinkley »

Guess what? My investigations on the offending car turn up the model - Corsa (what else really) and its not currently insured!. Maybe the police might like to have a word with the driver about his insurance position.....
kiwi
Over 2k
Posts: 2380
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:20 am
Location: Nouvelle Zealande
x 4

Re: Flying Rocks

Post by kiwi »

Best investment I ever made was a dashboard camera! Not only do I now have a growing record of muppets on the road but this year recorded an idiot passing through roadworks that smashed a headlight! (that was a fun one to deal with), a near miss the wife encountered and the latest where someone reveresed into me to name a few.

This incident though with the stone being thrown up really ended up being a frothing exercise by the parties involved, actually it became quite personal. So much so I dedicated a facebook page to the twerps...lol
1991 BX19 TZS 04/01/91 (Deceased)
1990 BX19 TRS 27/10/89 (Reborn)
1992 BX19 TXD (Ex UK - K 744 SDF) 15/06/92
1990 BX19 TZS Auto 06/11/1989
1992 BX TZD Turbo Estate (Ex UK) 1/07/91
rutter123
Over 2k
Posts: 2695
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2012 9:54 pm
Location: South Lincs
My Cars: 90 Bx Tzd turbo ven red 295k
74 D Super 5 black
05 Volvo V50 2.0d 180k
65 Peugeot Boxer work van 280k
x 136

Re: Flying Rocks

Post by rutter123 »

i had a similar happening earlier this year , someone had sideswiped the n/s/r door on the silver tgd in the carpark at work, leaving a 8 inch crease in the door just below the trim, very annoying as its gonna cost me 150 to get it repaired, no cctv camera cover this area and cars come and go all day long, sadly another case where no one is willing to help.cost of repair 150 insurance excess 150 would it really be worth a claim?
90 BX Tzd turbo 294k SORN undergoing major surgery
90 BX Tzd turbo estate 46k awaiting surgery
65 Peugeot Boxer Van the new workhorse
52 Toyota Rav4 180k Bulletproof Jap reliability
Tinkley
1K Away
Posts: 1502
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:27 am
Location: N Hants England
x 8

Re: Flying Rocks

Post by Tinkley »

Just realised I hadn't made clear that the 'rock' was deliberately thrown at me, not kicked up by a tyre. If it had been through the windscreen I would have definitely been in hospital. Just one of the joys of motoring...

The incident on the M3 a few years back shows what can happen.

That dashboard cam might be a good idea, the footage of that Russian meteorite was pretty impressive from similar devices. Thanks for that Kiwi.
User avatar
Thread Bear
1K Away
Posts: 1651
Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2013 9:47 am
Location: Longcot, near Faringdon, Oxfordshire
x 1

Re: Flying Rocks

Post by Thread Bear »

If known, get them reported. Enough idiots steering cars without stuff being chucked about.


Do you recall, Thank's Gramps, some years ago where there was a succession of cases of vegetables thrown at people from moving cars? I seem to recall finding it funny till some root - potato?, put someone in hospital with a pretty serious condition. I cannot recall what the out come was but it revolved around a sort of secret club initiation type thing. A form of showing off, in other, words to be accepted.
Last edited by Thread Bear on Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Miguel - 16 TRS Auto S, light blue, 43k miles - £450
Pluto - 14 E S, White, 105k Miles - in work
Egbert - 19 16v Gti, White, A/C & Leather, - Keeper
Walt - 17 TZD Turbo S, graphite, 70k miles, good op extras - Keeper
Scraper- 17 TZD Turbo E, blue, 208k miles - parts
Homer - 19 TXD E, Red, 189k miles - £250
Gary - 17 TZD Turbo E, 118k miles - in work

'87 Trooper, Borgwards, Saabs, MG ZB, Bellamy Trials, Fiat Jolly & Bianchina, Goggo Dart, Messerschmitt, Heinkel, Bubblecars
User avatar
Way2go
Over 2k
Posts: 7279
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:15 pm
Location: RCoBerkshire
x 2

Re: Flying Rocks

Post by Way2go »

Tinkley wrote:Just realised I hadn't made clear that the 'rock' was deliberately thrown at me, not kicked up by a tyre.
Ah! I couldn't understand what the fuss was about as it read as if it was just an unfortunate occurrence from loose debris on the road surface. If it was deliberately thrown then surely it is a crime and police do prosecute those that throw projectiles from motorway bridges. Why should it be any less serious being thrown from a moving car? At the very least they could prosecute him for malicious damage.

However car insurance probably does not cover his wanton act and you would need to take him to the small claims court for recompense. A claim on your insurance would just be more pain for you.
1991 BX19GTi Auto
Post Reply